


Ten

by platinumfail



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, angry rin, fem!Nitori, fem!nitorin, fem!rintori, little ball of shark, nitorin - Freeform, okay idk where i wanted to go with that, rintori - Freeform, sad rin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-07
Updated: 2014-06-07
Packaged: 2018-02-03 17:05:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1752239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/platinumfail/pseuds/platinumfail
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A prompt request from my tumblr, momotaromikoshibae.tumblr.com.</p><p>Sometimes you just have to hit someone over the head with a brick to inform them that you have feelings for them. Too bad Nitori and Rin had no bricks. When describing their crushes to each other, the messages go haywire and involve Gou and a frantic Seijuro Mikoshiba to do some damage control for Rin, who may have spewed the one word that ruined his relationship with Nitori forever. </p><p>A fem!Nitori x Rin prompt<3</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ten

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Now, I know this is a long fic. This is the longest fic I have ever written, totaling at 11,832 words. You may have to take breaks when reading it, but I really adore it and I really hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> Enjoy lovelies!
> 
> <3,  
> Kayla

            At the beginning of his relationship with Aiichiro Nitori, to say that Rin was confused was a complete and utter understatement. Samezuka Academy was for boys. Boys. Not girls. Males. Not females. It's fair to say that in retrospect, Rin had the most stupid look on his face when he found out that his roommate was a girl. It was his first year at Samezuka, even though he was a second-year student. Upon meeting Aiichiro,  he was very annoyed with her, to put it in simple terms. She always looked up to him. When he swam, she timed him. When he got out of the pool, she had his towel. She always assured him on his times and was there when he needed her. Ai wasn't that bad of a swimmer, either. She was fast and streamlined. He found out exactly why Samezuka, the academy for male swimmers, accepted her. Ai had told Rin that Samezuka accepted her by mistake when her swim coach sent out grades and scores to the swimming schools without including her gender or picture. Upon hearing Ai's name — Aiichiro Nitori — they knew "he" was a boy and would fit in well at the academy. However, Ai wasn't a boy, but had a boyish name. Rin knew how Ai felt, since he had a girl's name. Samezuka begrudgingly accepted her, but made the application process much longer and more in-depth than before. Ai would be the first and last girl at Samezuka.

            A few months passed, and while Rin was very short fused at the messes she made and how much she worried, he slowly and surely warmed up to the girl, and began to see her as more than an acquaintance and more in the terms of a friend.

            When Rin finally grumbled that he saw Ai as a friend, Rin would watch her like a hawk...for her protection, of course. Ai would do her own swimming, but was usually hounded by the other rude guys on the swim team. Rin found himself nearly steaming at every single cat-call and insult that was thrown Ai's way. At the beginning, Rin paid no mind — she was just an annoying little girl that was out of place. He wouldn't stick up for her when the other boys would ignore her and tell her to go sit down and time them, since she was too "weak" to race up against anyway.

            All the guys would remark that Ai wasn't a "fair race" and that anyone who went against her would win. Thus, Ai stayed on the sidelines and remained the third alternate for everybody and their mom. Later on, however, when Ai beat one of the star first years, the team shut up...and it kind of helped that Rin beat up one of the guys that always picked on Ai. The other set of guys on the team would coo at her and flirt with her non-stop.  The swim captain, Seijuro Mikoshiba, put an end to this swiftly, making the guys run to the showers first before he'd call it clear and let Ai shower by herself. But not without Seijuro waiting outside the locker room for any "straggling" guys. The only other guy allowed to shower in the same room as Ai was Rin himself, because Seijuro knew that Rin wouldn't bother Ai — they were roommates after all, and there had to be at least one time either Rin or Ai accidently walked in on the other changing. Seijuro knew that for a fact because one time Rin screamed so loud that it woke the whole dorm. Seijuro assumed it was Rin walking in on Ai putting on a bra, but that's just his prediction.

            Now marked 6 months of them knowing each other, and although Rin wasn't as pissed as he once was, he still had his moments. It seemed as if Ai and Rin did everything together, and _damn_ , did that make people talk. There were rumors that they were dating, that they were fuck buddies — even rumors saying that Rin was keeping her around for "personal relief." However, those rumors always bit the dust when he was around. Other guys still vied for Ai's attention, but the only person that really spent time with Ai was himself and Seijuro.

            Rin was glaring at the LED light that read 10:45 PM. Ai went out with the captain to shop, even though Rin was absolutely sour over it. That was Rin's own fault, though, and he knew it. Rin had decided to stay in the dorm, wanting to curb the rumors about him and Ai as well as study for a physics test he would have on Monday. Rin found himself not wanting to dispute the rumors anymore,  however. He simply nodded and kept going on with his day, just as Ai did since the beginning. Rin had a crush on Ai...but he knew better than to act on it. Ai was a "foreign" creature. She was a girl who did...girl things in an all boys school. Rin thought he was only attracted to Ai because she was the only female within a 3 mile radius, however, Rin knew that he had this sincere crush towards the girl when he started feeling his chest getting tight and his stomach nearly boiling every single time he saw a guy flirting with her. Boys were like flies and Ai was fresh meat. Boys were everywhere at this school. Well, that's kind of expected...but Rin expected _better_. Boys would lean up against lockers and just chat Ai up all day. Boys would ask Ai out on dates.

            But the catch was...Ai _always_ said no. _Always_. The only guys that had never asked out Ai were Rin and the captain along with a few other guys that saw her as a fellow guy. He sighed when Ai finally walked into the dorm and waved goodbye to Seijuro who lived just across the hall. Rin sat up straighter in his bed where he was reading, and he pretended to not even care that she came back...even though his heart was nearly about to burst through his chest.

            "Hi Rin-Senpai." Ai greeted sweetly, grabbing her pajamas and stretching.

            Rin grunted in response and went back to his book. So...Rin had a really bad way of showing emotion. Ai understood that, and nearly embraced it, smiling at the fact that he even acknowledged that he heard her. She went into the bathroom to change and brush her teeth before exiting and climbing up to her top bunk. She sighed and wrapped herself up in her blanket before sitting up and staring out the window in the dorm room.

            "Hey, Rin-Senpai?" Ai asked in a whisper as Rin turned off the light.

            "Yeah?" He sighed, struggling to get comfortable in his bed.

            "I'm not really tired...do you want to do something fun?" She asked, leaning over the railing so she could see Rin's facial expression.

            Rin's red eyes widened to the size of saucers. Was she...wait. Hold the phone. Rin sighed and tried to push his hormones down. There's no way Ai was talking about sex. Rin shut his eyes hard, and swallowed. Sure, he had several...hot dreams about her...and would sometimes act them out when he was alone in the dorm room, or Ai was dead asleep above him. Sometimes he would make Ai go ahead in the mornings so he could clean up the mess in his boxers when he woke up. He cleared his throat.

            "What's that?" He nearly croaked.

            "We haven't really...talked in a long time." She whispered, lying on her back and staring up at the ceiling.   

            Now that Rin and Ai were closer, they talked into the night sometimes. Rin would talk about all his pent up frustrations, and Ai would talk about her struggles with being seen as equal. It was a good balance. Not to mention Rin found out exactly who he was going to threaten or beat up the next day. Many guys stopped messing around and being rude with Ai once Rin got closer to her. They knew that they'd end up with a broken nose...and that was if they were lucky.  Rin stayed silent.

            "I mean, like, we've never talked about...who we like..." She mumbled, getting more and more embarrassed by the minute.

            Rin's ears perked up.  

            "So...you want to _talk_ about who we... _like_?" Rin asked, incredulous.

            Rin did have a little sister, and he would sometimes overhear her conversations with her numerous friends. They always squealed over how cute guys were and Rin would want to gag himself with a spoon. Ai was very close to Gou, since she met her when Rin introduced them. Gou and Ai immediately hit it off,  and would text each other every single day, or go out shopping or talk about boys in whispers when he was nearby. He quietly groaned.

            "Why don't you text my sister and talk about that with her? You guys are best friends. Gou says so." Rin growled, turning to his side, trying to shut his eyes.

            "I already talk about it with Gou all the time. I just wanna hear who you like too...Gou won't tell me and I wanna help you get the girl Gou says you like!" Ai exclaimed in a rush. Rin's lungs lacked oxygen.

            "Wait. Gou said _what_?" Rin nearly yelled, shooting up in bed.

            Ai climbed down from her top bunk and sat at the end of Rin's bed, where she would usually sit before they talked into the night. Rin rubbed his red eyes and glared at his blankets. _Damn Gou_. She knew that he had a crush on Ai and would tease him every chance she got. Even Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei knew for Christ's sake!

            "She told me that you like somebody very, very much, but you suck at trying to talk to her. So I want to help..." She led on, playing with her fingers nervously.

            Rin decided to just play along. Ai was just wanting to help...and maybe this was a way for Rin to find out exactly who Ai liked. Rin was too proud to admit that Ai probably didn't like him.

            "If I tell you about the girl I like...you have to tell me about the guy that you like. Deal?" Rin agreed, trying to hide the curiosity and excitement in his deep voice.

            "Deal." She solemnly nodded, picking at her short nails. "You go first."

            Rin stared at Ai and then looked away, wondering how the hell to put this into words. He guessed that he would just describe Ai to her, and hope she would get the message that he liked her. However, Rin was afraid that just saying "I like you, Ai..." would spook Ai into running out of the dorms and never being able to look him in the eye again. Rin wouldn't stand for that.

            "Fine." Rin grumbled, pushing the blankets back so he could sit on top of them just as Ai was doing. "She's tall...and she can swim." Rin began, glancing all around the room to avoid Ai's gaze.

            "Oh...is she on a swim team?" She asked, intrigued. She obviously didn't get that Rin was beginning to describe her.

            "Yeah. For her school." He confided, crossing his arms.

            "What school?" She asked, leaning forward.

            "If I told you that, there wouldn't be any fun in this!" Rin exclaimed, incredulous.

            "S-sorry, Rin-Senpai." Ai sighed, quiet.

            "Anyway...she has big eyes and pale lips. She's very pale..." Rin continued, still avoiding Ai's gaze.

            "Mmhm..." Ai hummed in response.

            "She's very...pretty..." Rin swallowed, "and worries a bit too much. She is sort of messy..." He trailed.

            "Is she as messy as _me_?" Ai whispered, a small sad giggle in her voice.

            "I would say she's on the same level of messy as you." Rin teased back, although his voice was smooth. Rin looked around. "Your turn."

            "Okay, um...he's tall, too. He swims. He has red hair-"

            Rin tuned out the rest of what Ai had to say. Tall? Swims? Red hair? This could only mean one thing. Ai was in love with their third year swim captain, Seijuro Mikoshiba. Rin's head spun and he felt like he was about to vomit all over the place. He felt like he was kicked in the stomach. Ai liking the captain all made sense. He was nice to her, took her places, made sure she was safe during swim practice...it all made fuckin' _sense_. He grumbled and looked down before tuning back in.

            "He's very handsome...and I spend a lot of time with him, actually..." Ai was bright red right now, staring at the bed sheets.

            Rin's insides burned. He wished he could make Ai blush like that. He wished he could hold her in his arms and smile. He wished he could sleep next to her. He wished he could be with her.

            "Hm. Does he go here?" Rin grumbled softly, already knowing who it was.

            "Yes. He does." She blushed, closing her eyes.

            Rin felt a pang of jealousy hit him along with a tidal wave of sadness. Nothing ever works out for him. Ai looked a bit sad as well. When Rin was describing his girl, she seemed to have tears in her eyes. Maybe she thought that the girl wasn't her? Rin shook his head of the thought. That's nonsense!

            "Oh..." That's all Rin could think of to say.

            "Yeah..." Ai faked a yawn. "I'm really tired, Rin-Senpai." She smiled sadly, getting off of the bed and climbing up to hers.

            "S-same..." Rin awkwardly stammered before laying back down on his sheets. "Goodnight, Ai."

            "Goodnight, Senpai..." Ai whispered, the slight crack in her voice noticeable.

            Rin closed his eyes when he heard Ai's first shaky and quiet sob.

\----

            Throughout the next week, Rin watched Ai like a hawk in all her interactions with Seijuro. Rin and Ai didn't talk as much as they would have. Ai would come in to the dorm, go to their desk, and work on her homework, only talking to Rin when she didn't understand a math problem, or was having difficulty with English. Rin was far too awkward to even begin a conversation with Ai, but he made sure to stick right next to her at swim practice. The less time she spent with Seijuro, the more Rin could relax.

            Right now, only Rin, Ai, and Seijuro were at the pool, staying late after practice and discussing the next swim competition which was less than a month away. Ai was never allowed to be in the relays, since Samezuka only raced fellow boys in the relays. Ai was able to do her own meters, but at a different time from the rest of the Samezuka team. She'd have to go in earlier in the morning for the girls competition, and wait for the rest of the Samezuka crew to come in around mid afternoon for the boys competition. Ai nearly always won the girls division, and Samezuka got another trophy to put up on the walls...even though it was partially hidden since it was a girl's division, and they didn't want other girls getting the idea that they could get into Samezuka.

            Rin was silent and watched with narrowed red eyes as Seijuro and Ai giggled about the relays and competitions.

            "Whenever I go in early, the other girls always stare at me and ask me where my team is," Ai began, "and I tell them that they died and they all lose it," She giggled loudly, Seijuro cracking up, "I'm serious!" She exclaimed.

            "You need to come up with a better excuse. Like we all died in a boating accident or something." Seijuro teased, elbowing Ai gently in her ribs. She snickered.

            "Or died after crying because they lost their captain's jacket..."

            "That was one time, Ai! And it cost a lot of money to get it monogrammed." Seijuro argued, crossing his arms.

            "Yeah, _but_ -"

            "Are we going to talk about the relay or not?" Rin interrupted, jealousy overtaking him.

            Rin wanted to be one of the only guys that could make Ai giggle. Seijuro was the only other guy that Ai would spend hours upon hours talking to...and Seijuro would _actually_ listen! Sure, Rin would listen to her as well, but he usually found himself tuning out, and when she was talking on her bunk, he'd play around on his phone while she talked. Rin bit his lip gently. Maybe he should start paying more attention. Ai and Seijuro looked up at Rin, and Ai stared at her toes, embarrassed. Rin grumbled. Of course she would be blushing...she was caught flirting with her secret lover.

            "I think we have it all planned out-"

            "W-wait, Mikoshiba-Senpai, I have a request for the next competition..." Ai quietly said, blushing a thousand shades of red.

            "What is it?" Seijuro asked, very curious.

            "Um...can I have somebody come with me to my competitions...? It gets really lonely after awhile, because all the other girls have their own teammates and I'm usually sitting on the benches waiting for my next lap..." Ai sighed, playing with her fingers.

            Rin raised an eyebrow. Ai had been in several competitions this year, and she never made that request. Rin's eyes drifted over to Seijuro, who had a knowing look on his face. Rin grimaced. She was probably asking him to go with her and keep her company, where they could sneak away and make out to kingdom come—

            "Sure. Matsuoka, would you be willing to accompany Ai?" Seijuro asked, Ai nearly doubling over in shock.

            Rin had no idea that Ai had the hugest and most sincere crush on him. She was crushed that night that they described their crushes and Ai realized she was not Rin's. She wondered why Rin seemed so peeved and distraught over her description...she realized that it must have been Rin realizing that he was actually her crush, and he was disgusted by it. Rin's not dense, and Ai knows that all too well. Ai cried a lot the night that she realized that she wasn't Rin's crush and that he was disgusted that he was hers, and she tried her best to avoid being alone with Rin at all costs. However, Ai still loved the sharp-toothed boy dearly, and would leap at the chance of being with him.

            Rin, on the other hand, was relieved. At least Seijuro wasn't offering to accompany Ai. Rin cleared his throat and looked to the side, trying to give the image that he was annoyed, but would do it.

            "I guess so..." Rin trailed, crossing his arms.

            "I-I guess then y-you can show me w-who the girl you l-like is, since sh-she'll be in the competition because she swims for h-her school..." Ai stammered, her voice a stiff monotone.

            Seijuro's eyebrow perked up, and he ran a hand through his red hair. He was genuinely puzzled, but Ai and Rin didn't notice — they were too busy hiding their feelings for each other. Seijuro, who did have his moments, was smart enough to see that Rin and Ai had a thing for each other. You'd have to live under a _rock_ to realize that Rin and Ai didn't have a spark between them. Seijuro had the room right across from theirs, and he heard Rin laugh loudly and sincerely only _once_ in the whole year, and that was when Ai told the cheesiest joke and messed up the punch line. If anybody else had done that, Rin would have stared at them condescendingly and then go back to whatever he was doing...but not with Ai. Rin seemed to become more sensitive around Ai, although it was only a mere centimeter of a difference. Everybody in Samezuka knew that Rin and Ai were in love with each other, but it was kind of an unspoken thing. Seijuro scratched the back of his neck awkwardly when remembering what he did to try and move the relationship along.

            Seijuro... _may_ or _may not_ have been the guy who started the rumors about Rin and Ai. Of course, those rumors took their own turn that he had nothing to do with. Seijuro hoped that by spreading some innocent (at least when he first told them) rumors, Rin would realize that he really did love Ai and would finally tell her. However, that hasn't worked yet. Last month, Seijuro was so fed up that he actually started a rumor that Rin and Ai had rough sex nearly every night..and he would know...since he lived across the hall. Damn, did that rumor spread like hellfire. However, even _that_ didn't work. Seijuro had finally given up...until Ai asked for company at her competitions. Maybe this plan wasn't going to fail after all, but just take a different turn.

            "Wait. _Who_ is this girl?" Seijuro chimed in, trying to take out the brief silence that had settled between Ai and Rin. Even though he already knew who it was.

            "That's none of your business, captain." Rin spat, glaring over at him and heading to the showers. "Come on, Ai." He blurted.

            Ai looked at Rin and hurried to his side to go and take a shower, as Seijuro followed behind. What happened the other night that made them like this? And what happened to Rin? He was now even _more_ protective of Ai...not even wanting her to be alone with him — the swim team captain! Seijuro, without thinking, jumped forward, and grabbed Ai's arm gently, pulling her back. He was going to get to the bottom of this. Rin quickly turned around, and sent the most blood-chilling glare Seijuro had ever seen in his whole life.

            "We have a test to study for, _captain_." Rin hissed, obviously not going to shower without Ai with him.

            Ai swallowed awkwardly, and bit her lip. She had no idea what in the hell to do. What was going on? Why was Rin short with the captain all of a sudden? Her bony kneecaps hit each other as she stood between Rin and Seijuro, Seijuro's gentle grip still on her elbow.            

            "I just have to talk to her about the competition requirements-"

            " _You can do that while I'm here_." Rin stated calmly and simply, inching closer to Ai.

            Ai was wide eyed and awkward, scratching her neck as a nervous habit. Ai's eyes darted between the two swimmers and quickly cleared her throat.

            "A-actually, Rin-Senpai, I d-do have to talk to Mikoshiba-Senpai about my race..." Ai trailed, staring up at Seijuro, wondering what he really wanted to talk about without having Rin around. "I-I'll be in the showers soon..." she awkwardly smiled at Rin, "at least you won't have to worry about me using all of the hot water while in there..." She giggled forcefully, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

            Rin's red eyes shifted between Ai and the captain for a minute before huffing and turning around to the showers. "You're a horrible fuckin' _liar_ , Ai." He calmly announced before disappearing into the locker room.

            Ai's bright blue eyes filled with tears and her pale bottom lip wriggled violently, her shoulders shaking. Seijuro's eyes widened. Great, he fucked up...again. He put his hands on Ai's shoulders and made her look up. She sniffled.

            "I'm sorry, Ai, but there's something I need to ask you about." Seijuro offered, taking a thumb and wiping off the stray tear on her pale cheek.

            "I-it's okay, what is it?" She stammered.

            "What happened the other night that has made Rin more protective and you more awkward around Rin? You didn't even offer him a towel after practice today!" Seijuro exclaimed, hands on his hips. He wanted to resolve this once and for all.

            "It's my fault, Mikoshiba-Senpai...the other night I took Gou's advice and decided to ask Rin-senpai about w-who he liked," Ai began, looking to the side.

            Seijuro took a deep breath and understood where this was going. He crossed his arms and nodded for Ai to continue, even though his heart rate jumped when Gou was mentioned. The reason Ai went out with him so much was because he was going on dates with Gou, and Ai came to make sure it didn't look too suspicious...because if Rin was mad now about Seijuro even talking to Ai...imagine what Rin would do when he found out his precious baby sister and his swim captain were _dating_. Seijuro visibly shivered.

            "Continue, Ai." Seijuro verbalized, shaking his head of the horrifying thought.

            "So we each described who we liked-"

            "What did he describe?" Seijuro quickly cut her off.

            "Um...he said that she was tall and was a swimmer...was very, very pale," Ai looked up for a minute in thought, "he said she had big eyes and pale lips. H-he also said she was as messy as I was..." Ai felt tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. "and he said that she was very pretty..." She whispered, defeated.

            Seijuro looked at Ai with the biggest look of confusion on his face. Ai wasn't dumb. Sure, she had her moments just like he did, but he never expected Ai to be this fucking dense! Rin was describing _her_! Ai is almost as tall as Rin, she was pale — so pale that many boys on the team playfully teased her saying that her skin was so light that it was almost translucent. Ai had the sweetest and biggest eyes (in an actual nice proportionate way) that Seijuro had ever seen, only to rival the eyes of his Gou. He cleared his throat, shaking his head, but keeping to himself. Not yet. Seijuro couldn't blurt this out to Ai just yet.

            "And how did you describe your crush?" Seijuro calmly asked, looking to the side.

            Ai blushed a bright shade of red, staring at the ground, wondering if she should tell the captain. Ai was very naive when it came to love, and she didn't want anybody knowing about her huge crush and potential love for Rin. Too bad everybody basically knew it anyway.

            "U-um..."

            "We _all_ know it's Rin, Ai, so spit it out." Seijuro breathed, shaking his head and closing his eyes.

            Ai stepped back out of shock, and felt her whole face heat up.

            "Okay...well I just described Rin-senpai. He seemed to tune out after I said that he was tall, had red hair and was a swimmer. I went on to say that he was really snippy most of the time but had his moments where he could be sweet and caring, but Rin-senpai didn't hear that part," Ai swallowed, "and it seemed like he came back into the conversation once I said that my crush was very, very handsome. I also told him he went to Samezuka." Ai finished, rubbing her eyes.

            Seijuro gasped in realization. There were two red heads in this school that were also swimmers. Rin and himself. He groaned loudly and put his face in his hands. Oh. Shit.

            "Mikoshiba-Senpai! Are you okay?" Ai asked, concerned, her eyes huge and worried.

            "Ai...who else has red hair, goes to Samezuka, is tall and is a swimmer?" Seijuro questioned, moving his hands to look Ai in the eye.

            "...only Rin-Senpai-" she let out a loud, petrified gasp, "and you!" She exclaimed, nearly screaming.

            "Shh!" Seijuro scolded. "Rin may hear us, keep your voice down!"

            "Sorry, Mikoshiba-Senpai."

            "This all makes sense. That's why Rin was so angry that you didn't go to the showers with him! He didn't want you to be alone with me. And that's why Rin has been more short with me lately. I almost thought he had figured out that I was dating Gou..." Seijuro whispered the last part, glancing around in paranoia.

            "Oh my god, Mikoshiba-Senpai! What am I going to do?! I ruined it!" She wailed, sitting down on a bench and pulling her pale knees to her nearly flat chest, crying.

            "Well, I think what we have to do is either act like we're more close than before, or just ignore each other until Rin can calm down. If we act like we're closer, Rin may feel pressured to take you on and keep you away from me, which would mean you spending more time with Rin." Seijuro offered.

            "Why would Rin-Senpai be so upset thinking that I was describing you?" Ai whispered, in a state of shock and confusion.

            "Ai. I know you're a smart girl, but you can be very naive sometimes." Seijuro groaned.

            "W-what do you mean?" Ai asked, getting a bit defensive.

            "Rin was describing you when he was describing his crush! You mentioned earlier that he wouldn't tell you what school she went to. That's because you're the only girl in Samezuka! If Rin said that his crush went here, it would have to be you!" Seijuro exclaimed excitedly.

            Ai was glad she was sitting on a bench because she felt faint. _Rin_? Liking _her_? There was no way. Rin was way out of her league. Rin was so amazing and tough, and he didn't let anything get to him. He was the best swimmer on the team and could make Ai's heart flutter by just walking into the room. No way was Ai _that_ lucky!     

            "H-how do you know he described me?" Ai countered, trying to hold onto the frayed string that was reality.            

            "Ai. You're the palest girl we have ever met. You have big eyes. You are one of the tallest girls I've ever met...and you're as pretty as Gou." Seijuro smiled, patting Ai on the back.

            Ai visibly perked up, all of the clues making sense. She cried for nothing! However, the heavy feeling in her chest didn't leave. The incident that had just happened made Rin confirm that Ai's crush was the captain...when it wasn't. Ai groaned.

            "So...I-I guess we'll fix it by acting even closer with each other?" Ai questioned, staring ahead at the clear blue pool. "...but if you get beat up, it's on you..." She whispered, a tint of worry in her glossy eyes.

            "It'll be worth it. He'll find out about Gou and me sooner or later, and hopefully I can use the 'you punched me already' card." Seijuro sighed, a playful smile on his lips as he stood up and held out his hand for Ai.

            "I'll tell Gou about the plan so she can help Rin m-move along...and know that I'm not trying to steal you away from her." Ai giggled sweetly, standing up and heading towards the showers.

\----

            Ai went out with Gou and Seijuro that night, wanting to avoid Rin. She knew that the moment she walked into the dorm she would be greeted with a stiff silence and a glaring Rin. She sat across from Gou and the captain while they giggled and shared a milkshake. Ai looked forward and bit her lip. She wondered if her and Rin would ever do that. She felt heat rise to her cheeks and she stared back down at the table. Gou noticed.

            "Ai, are you okay? My brother can be an idiot...but he'll still go after you even if he thinks that you're dating my boyfriend." She laughed, shaking her head.

            "Y-yeah, I guess...but I feel bad that I hurt Rin-Senpai..." She swallowed, playing with her nails. She had no appetite.

            "He gets butt-hurt all the time, Ai!" Gou exclaimed, looking at Seijuro to back her up.

            "Yeah, he does, but he keeps going after what he wants. Even if he doesn't beat his time, he doesn't give up, does he?" Seijuro pointed out, blinking at Gou.

            "I-I'm not as important as swimming, though. Swimming is important to him...and I'm not on that level. I'm the farthest _thing_ from it-"

            Gou almost spit out her mouthful of milkshake she just slurped up. Seijuro nearly choked. Ai started at them, her eyes wide. Why the hell were they reacting like Ai just said that she was pregnant?!

            "Ai, you did _not_ just say that." Gou coughed, calming herself down and making sure Seijuro wasn't choking and about to suffocate himself.

            "W-what's wrong with me saying that-"

            "EVERYTHING IS WRONG WITH YOU SAYING THAT." Seijuro exclaimed loudly and out of breath. The restaurant all turned to stare at their table. They all cleared their throats and whispered to each other.

            "Everything is wrong with you saying that!" Seijuro whispered this time, his face still frozen in a near-shock.

            "Why-"

            "Ai, when Rin comes home on break, all he talks about is 'Ai this...' and 'Ai that...' and he has never talked about anybody like that besides Haruka, but that was back when Rin was little and wanted to be Haruka's best friend no matter what," Gou explained, shaking her head.

            "But that doesn't mean that I'm more important than-"

            "Yes it does, Ai. Rin loves to swim, but that doesn't mean he'd put it before someone he loves..." Seijuro trailed, looking at Gou and then Ai.

            "L-love?" Ai squeaked, unable to fill her lungs back up with air.

            "Well, yeah. Rin's never really had a girlfriend since he focused on his swimming all the time...but for the first time ever, Rin doesn't talk about swimming as much when he comes home. He talks about you. It gets kind of sickening, actually..." Gou teased, rolling her eyes.

            "W-what does he say?" Ai questioned, very curious.

            Gou had a sly look on her face and whispered in Seijuro's ear, who just giggled and nodded. Ai raised an eyebrow. What were they whispering about?

            "You'll have to find that out from Rin, Ai~" Gou teased, going into a giggle fit. Seijuro rolled his eyes playfully.

            "Tell her what you told me!" He exclaimed.

            "Fine," Gou sighed, leaning over the table to get closer to Ai's ear, "When he comes home, his room is right next to mine, and at night he whispers your name...a lot-"

            "Whoa, whoa, that's enough!" Ai squealed, hiding her bright red face behind her pale hands, not ever wanting to look up again.  

            "But besides that, he talks about you improving your time when he's at home, and stories about you in the dorms...he always tells about the time you put his pillow into the wash and ruined it..."

            "Oh yeah..." Ai scratched the back of her neck, "I didn't know he couldn't sleep without it..."

            "He laughs about it now," Gou continued, "but he loves talking about the time that you guys watched this stupid horror movie and you refused to walk to the bathroom by yourself every single night for a week..." Gou giggled, Seijuro nodding.

            "Even _I_ heard about that!" Seijuro commented, shaking his head.

            "He let you sleep in his _bed_ for that week, didn't he, Ai?" Gou slyly questioned, raising a red eyebrow.

            If Ai was drinking something, she would have spat it out right then and there. How did Gou know about this?

            Seijuro's jaw nearly hit the table. He was shocked as Gou was sitting there, looking as if she just said the sky was blue.

            "That's against dorm policy! Oh my god, if they got caught I would have been in _so_ much trouble!" Seijuro scolded, his inner captain and residence hall adviser coming out.

            "H-how did you know about that, Gou?!" Ai exclaimed, incredulous.

            "I have my ways...he was texting me one morning while you were asleep and asked how to get up out of the bed without waking you." Gou smiled, showing Ai the text.

            Ai turned an even brighter shade of red as she stood up and grabbed her Samezuka swim jacket. She adjusted her running shorts.

            "I'm going to go for a run...thanks you guys." Ai smiled, waving goodbye to the two lovebirds.

            "I wonder what she's going to run off...her embarrassment or the fact of knowing Rin thinks about her sexually..." Seijuro wondered aloud.

            "Shut up!" Gou laughed, shaking her head at him.

\----

            When Ai finished her 2 mile daily run, she returned to her and Rin's dorm, a nervousness decamping in her chest, pressing down on her stomach.  She looked at her phone to see the time. 12:45. _Damn_ , did she take her time on that run...she left Gou and Seijuro back at the restaurant at around 10:55. She prayed to god that Rin was asleep. She creaked open the door and found Rin on his bed, staring up at her bunk, his phone right next to his head. He shifted his red eyes to look at Ai taking off her swim jacket and trying to creep her way up into her bunk.

            " _Where in the fucking hell were you_?!" Rin exclaimed, sitting up, his tone dangerously calm for that set of words.

            Oh shit. What could Ai say? 'Oh, I was out with your sister and her boyfriend who is also the swim captain!' No way! Her eyes darted around the room. Shit, think of something, Ai! Think of something! She swallowed dryly.

            "I went out for a run and got...got drunk!" Ai exclaimed, not realizing what she said until she saw Rin's face. He looked like he just saw an alien.

            "Well, Ai, I'm happy to announce that you look _really_ fuckin' sober when you're drunk. Where would you _even_ get alcohol when running, and who the _hell_ would get it for you— never mind that! Where the hell were you, Ai? Don't you dare lie to me, that's all you do anymore." Rin yelled, standing up and glaring down at Ai, who was slowly coming down from her bunk. She knew she was in for it.

            "Rin-Senpai-"

            "Stop with that senpai shit, Ai! All you do is idolize me and I'm fucking sick and tired of it! Call me Rin. Just call me Rin for fuckin' _once_ after you lie to me. It's the least you could do!" Rin exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air.

            "R-rin..." Ai whispered, closing her eyes.

            "Look at me when you say it." Rin's deep voice cracked, crossing his arms and shutting his eyes before opening them.

            " _Rin_." His name left her lips softly, her blue eyes staring into his red, then darting away.

            "Now tell me. Where the _fuck_ were you? I had my phone next to me this whole damn time and I didn't get a single text from you! What is going on? You never stay out this late!" Rin recovered from his incident of nearly crying, anger filling him back up.

            Ai slinked back against the wall, closing her eyes and trying to take deep breaths. She knew Rin fairly well. She could tell that he was very angry, but it wasn't because he was mad at her. It was because he was worried sick and didn't want to admit it. It was also because he knew who she went out with, since he couldn't find the captain.

            "I was with the captain..." Ai whispered, leaving Gou out of it — just because Ai ruined her own potential relationship, she wouldn't dare ruin her best friend's.

            "I _knew_ it." Rin seethed.

            "It's not what you th-think it was, Rin..." Ai whispered, being sure to leave the -Senpai part off of his name. If it wasn't for him yelling at her and getting pissed, she would be on cloud 9 since Rin told her to actually use his first name. She always wanted to do that. If he wasn't yelling and getting pissed, Ai would be able to feel his name run off her tongue smoothly. She wanted that so bad...and now that she had it...she couldn't even enjoy it.

            "The hell it wasn't! I _know_ that you and the captain have a thing, Ai! I'm just pissed that you would keep it from me, for fuck's sake! Do you really think I'm that dumb?!" Rin asked, stepping closer to Ai and making her feel more trapped against the dorm door.

            "N-no, Rin...I d-don't think you're dumb-"

            "If you love the captain so fuckin' much, why don't you move into his dorm, Ai?!" Rin shouted, holding back tears.

            "W-what-"

            "Why the hell are you still here? The captain doesn't have a roommate, Ai! Go move in with him!" Rin pushed Ai against the door, furious.

            "R-rin, please don't-"

            "You heard me! This innocent act is a bunch of bullshit..." Rin trailed, then he looked Ai right in her eyes before saying the word that would seal their fate.

            " _Slut_."

            Ai's blue eyes bubbled up with more tears, but she squeezed her eyes shut harshly. No. She was not going to cry. She was not going to whine and run out of the room. If Rin _really_ loved her like Seijuro and Gou said...he would _never_ have called her a slut...or made wild assumptions. The room was silent, all that was being heard was panting from the both of them, Ai's from pure shock, and Rin's from yelling so much. Ai squeezed her pale hands into fists and dared to open her eyes at Rin, her thin pink lips forming a tight line. She sniffed and stood straighter. Not this time, Rin. _Not this time_.

            "Matsuoka-Senpai..." Ai steamed, her voice low and terrifying, Rin actually backing up in a sense of hurt. _Matsuoka-Senpai_? She hasn't called him that in _months_...he nearly took a sharp inhale. That's when he realized that everything they went through in the prior 6 months was erased with just one scandalous word that left his lips. _Slut_.

            Silence filled the room once more, Ai clearing her throat and making her voice louder before even thinking about speaking again.

            "I'm sick and tired of being your _toy_!" She yelped, throwing her hands up into the air. Rin had never heard her raise her voice...ever. And he did _not_ like it.

            "Ai-"

            "Don't you dare call me 'Ai'! You've ruined that!" She screeched, grabbing her textbook off her desk and chucking it at Rin. He barely dodged it. _Oh god_.

            "Nitori, l-look, I-"

            "It's always _'I this'_ and _'I that'_ with you, Matsuoka-Senpai! Do you know how many nights I've _cried_ over you?!" She screamed, panting,  balling her fists up, nearly doubled over.

            Rin stayed remarkably silent, wondering where this was going to turn.

            "I thought I actually loved you, Matsuoka-Senpai! This whole time, I never dated anybody else! I was never interested in anybody else! The only reason I go places with Mikoshiba-Senpai is because he doesn't like to go on dates with his girlfriend alone!" Ai screeched, slamming her desk lamp on the floor. Rin backed up.

            _Wait...what?_

            Ai glared up at Rin, her pale blue eyes the remarkable shade of a darkening sky. Ai's hair was a mess, her cheeks tear stained, her lips pale as ever. A furious blush was at her cheeks. Ai couldn't censor what she did or what she was saying. Rin finally pushed her off into the deep end...and this time she wasn't going to drown without a fight.

            "Nitori!" Rin shouted, his voice broken.

            "Stop! I'm not done!" Ai cried, putting a hand on their desk to steady herself. "I was _always_ by your side, and I know that really annoyed you at first, but I have been here no matter how much you've yelled at me, or told me to go away! Am I just a _replacement_ for your Iwatobi friends, Matsuoka-Senpai?!" Ai hoarsely whispered, burying her face in her hands. Rin realized that he was slumped up against his bedpost, staring at Ai's defeated lump of a body.

            "N-"

            "I never accepted anybody else's offer for a date, Matsuoka-Senpai. Because I liked you...wait, no, I _loved_ you! I thought that you were the greatest person ever. You an amazing swimmer, you're smart..." Ai rubbed her red-rimmed eyes and stood, climbing up to her bunk. She took a deep breath, their eyes meeting. "I _love_ you, Matsuoka-Senpai...and I am _no_ slut." Ai snapped, grabbing her comforter and pulling it up over her head, taking her stuffed animal Rin begrudgingly gave her for her birthday and gently handing it to him.

            "I'm sorry for being such a bother, Matsuoka-Senpai. But I am very accustomed to this room. If you wish to be away from me, _you_ move in with the captain."  Ai whispered, laying down and sniffling.

            Rin stood in the middle of the dorm room in shock. What just happened? He stared down at his hands and saw that they were shaking. Words were stuck in his throat. His brain wasn't connected to his vocal chords anymore. There was so much Rin wanted to say, but there was also so much for him to fuckin' _process_. Ai's sniffles and muffled sobs each sent a stab through his heart, his feet cemented to the ground. He shakily put one foot in front of the other and quickly left the room. Fuck the curfew, he needed to talk to someone...and there was only two people he could think of at the moment that could possibly mend this shit up.

\----

            "I CAN EXPLAIN!" Seijuro hollered, his hands in a begging plea, on his knees in front of Rin as Rin called him and Gou to meet him at a nearby park.

            "...Explain what?" Rin snapped, crossing his arms, a red eyebrow arched.

            "U-uh, nothing. He's just being dumb as usual." Gou scolded, playing it off enough that Rin became less suspicious. He had bigger things on his mind.

            "Why did you call us out here at 1 in the morning?" Seijuro interrogated, crossing his arms, becoming the responsible swim captain that he is only 10% of the time. "This is way past curfew, and if we get caught-"

            "Fuck the curfew...this is about Ai." Rin grumbled, crossing his arms as well.

            "What happened to Ai?" Gou asked, concern flooding her voice.

            "Nothing..." Rin growled, glaring at his sister.

            "Well what about Ai?" Seijuro asked, elbowing Gou.

            Little to Rin's knowledge, Seijuro and Gou were expecting a long, drawn-out love confession from their dear Rin, and then having to prep him up into asking Ai out. They sent sneaky looks to each other. Did they call it, or _did they call it_? However, they weren't prepared for what slipped out of the sharp toothed teen's mouth.

            "I called her a slut." Rin sighed, putting his face in his hands.

            "YOU _WHAT_?!" They both chorused, their voices echoing out in unison.

            "I..." Rin swallowed before continuing, "she came back into our dorm late tonight, okay? And..." Rin stopped himself, glaring at the ground in shame.

            His pride was ruined, but there was no way he was going to ruin it more by admitting he blew up at Ai because he thought she was sleeping around with the swim captain who happened to be right in front of him _with_ his little sister. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...but then again, Rin really had no choice. If he asked Haruka, he would get a response along the lines of "the pool will tell you what to do." If he asked Makoto, he would get nagged like a child by his mother with Makoto saying "you have to apologize and tell her how you feel!" Rin nearly let out an audible groan of distaste when he thought about what response he would get from _Nagisa_. Probably something like "Rin-Chan! How could you?" and then running off to tell Ai that Rin spilled the beans. Rin rolled his eyes when he knew he'd get some lame formula from Rei about how to make up with Ai. Rin shook his head of his thoughts and focused back on the matter at hand.

            "Why did you call her a slut?!" Gou asked, her cheeks red with fury.

            Rin winced. Sure, he was older than Gou, but when she got angry...everyone knew that they should run for the hills and pray that she couldn't smell their scent. He put a hand through his red hair and glared at the ground more. Gou put her hands on her hips and glared up at her brother, blinking slowly. Ai and Gou were best friends...maybe he shouldn't have let _that_ detail slip...

            "I...um-"

            "Rin, you need to tell us if you want us to help, which is what I think you called us here for." Seijuro commented, his voice very serious. All Seijuro could think about is how awkward swim practice would be...and how broken Ai's heart was.

            "I...thought that.. _.shewasdatingyou_." Rin quickly  mumbled, the last part of his sentence unintelligible.

            "What?" Gou asked, cocking her hip.

            "Ugh...I thought that Ai was dating the captain." Rin admitted, throwing his hands up into the air.

            Gou and Seijuro sent looks to each other. They had already confirmed that with Ai earlier today. They both let out a long sigh and stared up at Rin, trying to think of how to go about this.

            "Why did you think that?" Gou articulated slowly, even though she and Seijuro knew the full situation already. They needed to buy time to think.

            "I can't _believe_ I'm talking to you about this..." Rin grimaced, staring back down at the ground. He never noticed how interesting the ground was until tonight.

            "Well you better tell us if you want help..." Gou retorted, very short with Rin at the moment.

            "Fine. She had this...idea, planted by _you_ , no doubt-" Rin pointed at Gou, "of talking about who our crushes were with each other. We both described who we liked, and I didn't really listen to her when she talked and I assumed it was Mikoshiba." Rin growled, tapping his foot impatiently.

            Seijuro and Gou sent each other obvious glances, knowing that it was coming once again. They both crossed and uncrossed their legs as Rin paced, his arms crossed.

            "Who did you say you liked?" Gou asked, wanting to test her older brother's waters, seeing if he would say the same thing Ai said to her and Seijuro a few hours ago.

            "I didn't give an explicit name, Gou." Rin steamed, rolling his eyes. "Obviously...I just described Ai to Ai, and she must've assumed it was someone else."

            "Maybe you _should've_ given her a name, Rin." Gou snapped, wanting to just scream at him. Why was her older brother so... _dumb?_

            "Matsuoka, I think that the way to go about this is to give Nitori some space—"

            "Space? We live in the same dorm—" Rin stopped short when he remembered what Ai basically hissed at him.

_" If you wish to be away from me, you move in with the captain."_

            Rin let out a groan, kicking the ground softly as Gou and Seijuro sent him weird glances, wondering why the hell Rin was just groaning out loud after thinking for so long.

            "Yeah...you all live in the same dorm... _and?"_ Gou pushed, waiting for her brother to continue his sentence.

            "She kicked me out." Rin sighed, slumping up against a tree trunk, sliding to the ground.

            "You're damn right she did! What you said was completely worthy of being kicked out of the dorm and forced to live on the street!" Gou shouted, about to go into more detail when Seijuro butted in.

            "Wait. What did she _exactly_ say about you not living in the dorm with her?" Seijuro asked, crossing his arms.

            He was the room advisor anyway.

            "She basically said that if I want to be away from her, that I should move in with the captain." Rin breathed, staring at the green grass.

            "Whoa, where did moving in with _me_ explicitly come into the equation?" Seijuro interrogated, confused.

            "Ugh! Since I thought that you and Ai were dating, I told her to go and move in with you since she loves you so much." Rin admitted, trying to hold back hot tears.

            "Well...it's your choice..." Seijuro began, looking at Gou for assistance.

            "Yeah..." Gou nodded, telling Seijuro to go ahead with his sentence.

            "Either you move in with me, or Ai does." Seijuro finished, giving Rin the ultimatum.

            "What?! Why?" Rin exclaimed, quickly standing to his feet.

            "You heard Ai, and after what you said, she has every right to not want to see you for awhile." Gou sneered, still fairly upset.

            "But..." Rin's thin lips wriggled a bit but he cleared his throat and just let it out. "I love her..." He cracked, putting his face in his hands.

            Gou and Seijuro sent a look to each other, Gou going over to pat her older brother on the back as he was obviously trying to keep it under control. Gou knew that Rin had intense feelings for her best friend, and she was happy that he was finally able to acknowledge it...even though she wasn't exactly proud of how he came to admit that fact.

            "I have a plan." Gou sighed, letting out a huge smile as Seijuro nodded.

            "Yeah, there's only one way to fix this." Seijuro added.

            "You need to spoil Ai...but do it on her terms." Gou proudly announced, sticking her nose in the air.

            "What do you mean...?" Rin mumbled, lifting his head from his hands.

            "You need to go out of your way to make Ai feel like she's the queen of everything." Seijuro grinned, crossing his arms. "So basically, be the best senpai ever." Seijuro added, getting a glare from Gou.

            "I think what Seijuro means is that you need to just pamper Ai a bit. You have to show her that you didn't mean what you said. Actions speak louder than words. You're lucky I'm best friends with her, because I know all the things she likes. Your first task should be getting her a really cute stuffed animal. She's a sucker for that." Gou nodded, Seijuro nodding in approval.

            "Wait," Rin glared, "Did you just call the captain by his first name?"

            Seijuro and Gou stared wide-eyed at each other, freezing  in place.

            "I didn't call the captain that!" Gou whined, shaking her head.

            Rin was too preoccupied to care, so he just shrugged.

            "I'll walk you home, Gou."

\--

            The next day, Ai got up early to see that Rin's bunk was bare. She swung her legs over her bunk and let out a relieved sigh, yet felt a foreign emptiness in her chest. It was the first time she had woken up alone at Samezuka. She always had Rin breathing underneath her on his bunk, or pulling on his uniform jacket when she woke up.  She slowly climbed down from her bunk, looking into Rin's bed, seeing that his covers and pillow was gone. She swallowed thickly and looked through the drawers, seeing that his clothes were gone as well. She bit her lip before walking to their — well, _her_ — bathroom to brush her teeth when she saw a sticky note on the mirror.

            Her head moved back in a mild form of surprise, putting her toothbrush in her mouth as she brushed and paused when she saw the sticky note was signed by Rin. She spat out her toothpaste and rinsed before pulling the sticky note off of the mirror and squinting at it with tired bloodshot eyes.

            _Nitori —_

_Meet me by the aquatic center as soon as you wake up._

_Rin_

            Ai glared down at the note and threw it in the wastebasket, pulling on her black uniform skirt as well as her black and pink polo and white uniform jacket. She yanked on her oxfords and blinked, grabbing her backpack.

            _As if_ she was going to go and see Rin. She was upset that Rin didn't take anything she said seriously last night. She was finished with having to cater to her senpai all the time. Sure, he was her senpai...the key word being _was_.

            She stopped when she left the residence hall, seeing Rin right outside. She gasped silently, not expecting to see him so soon. She swallowed dryly. She hadn't decided if she wanted to meet him by the pool or not, but she guessed that Rin was going to give her the pleasure of meeting him as soon as she set out for class. He was going to wait for her to leave the hall before classes. Ai desperately tried to turn around and run back into the hall to go out the back entrance, but was stopped when Seijuro, who was talking to Rin, called her over.

            "Ai!" Seijuro called, waving and smiling brightly.

            Ai's stomach flopped, and she slowly turned back around, upset that she didn't think of this as a possible outcome. She didn't crack a smile, uncomfortable. Ai felt her feet begin their way to Seijuro and Rin, closing her eyes as she was in their vicinity, her cornflower blue eyes trying to avoid Rin.

            "H-hello." She bowed, grasping the straps of her backpack, holding back tears.

            "Oh, well, gotta go. See you guys!" Seijuro exclaimed, bolting off, causing Ai's eyes to widen, her forehead creasing.

_Seijuro!_

            "I must be going as well..." Ai didn't know what to call Rin, but her eyes stayed glued to the grass, beginning to walk off.

            "Nitori—" Rin breathed, grasping the girl's shoulder, turning her around, their eyes meeting.

            Ai felt like her breath was forcefully shoved out of her lungs as his red eyes bore into her blue, causing her to begin to tear up again. She quickly pulled her arm away, glaring down at the ground.

            "No." She breathed, beginning to walk to the Arts building for her humanities class.

            "Nitori!" Rin begged, running to catch up, cutting her off as the other students were making their way to class.

            Ai stopped, swallowing and clenching her fists, surprised when she felt Rin lay something in her arms, his eyes soft. She cleared her throat and looked at the object, it being an adorable and cuddly harp seal stuffed animal that she commented was cute a few weeks ago. Her and Rin were walking back from Iwatobi joint practice, and she stopped and pointed to the stuffed animal in a shop window. She giggled and squealed over it, causing Rin to roll his eyes and pull her along.

            She slowly trailed her eyes up, seeing Rin's handsome defined face close to hers, him holding a hand over the back of his neck, biting his lip, his sharp teeth seeming as if they were going to pierce his lip any moment. She let out a sigh, shaking her head and trying to give the stuffed animal back to Rin.

            "I don't want it—"

            Rin pulled a note out from his back pocket, giving it to Nitori, stepping backwards. Ai glared at the piece of paper that was folded over, a "1/10" on the front of it.

            "Read it...after class." Rin nodded, checking the time.

            Ai gasped when she heard the bell ring on the school grounds, not able to throw Rin the stuffed animal, growling silently as she watched the handsome second year jog to the Math and Sciences building next to the Arts building. She broke into a desperate sprint, shoving the note into her backpack as she tried to not get a detention for getting to class late.

\--

            Ai slumped her way back to her dorm, still not used to referring to the room as fully hers. She decided to skip swim practice in favor of working on her homework in the library. Ai walked down the abandoned hallway, getting out her room key when she found another note on the ground in front of the dorm, it reading "2/10." Ai sighed and picked it up, pulling out the note that said "1/10" out as well. She had no idea why she didn't throw away the note during the day, but she decided that she would read it. She opened up the dorm, gasping when seeing a single red rose on the desk that she once shared with Rin. She shakily put her bag down, climbing up to put her new stuffed animal on her bunk. She stepped back up to the desk to open the first note.

            _1/10_

_Dear Nitori,_

_I remember when you saw the stuffed animal in the store's window. You stopped next to it, and let out the smallest squeal, turning around and begging me to come look. I tried to play it off, but I couldn't get over the smile on your face, and the look in your eyes. You were so sad that you didn't have any money to buy it...and I guess I should've bought it for you, even though you would've protested like you always do. Better late than never, I guess._

_Rin_

            Ai stared down at the note and pushed it to the side, not noticing that her vision was blurring with tears. She swallowed her emotions down, staring up at the ceiling in the room, clearing her throat softly. She stared at the clock, seeing that dinner started about 10 minutes ago. She scratched her arm and sat down at her desk, looking at the gorgeous red rose and opening up the second note Rin had left for her.

            _2/10_

_Dear Nitori,_

_Remember when the swim team all got you roses when you finished your first 200 m freestyle heat? You came in second, but I was so proud of you. Your face lit up when you saw the roses and you burst into tears, running into my arms. Although I played it off, my heart had never beat so fast in my life, not even during a race. I remember you kept those roses until the last one died. Even when this one eventually dies, I'll bring you a new one. You deserve one that will never die, but isn't plastic._

_Rin_

            Nitori quickly folded the note back up, placing it next to the first, grabbing a cup and putting the rose in it, making sure that it would get water. She wiped her eyes and glared down at the carpet, her stomach grumbling. She hadn't eaten all day, and she figured that she should get at least something to drink and nibble on through the night before taking her nightly shower and turning in. She pulled her shoes back on and walked out, putting her hands into her blazer pockets.

            She stared at the ground, letting out a startled gasp when she ran into someone, nearly falling backwards. She caught herself and blinked, standing fully.

            "I-I'm sorry—" Ai was cut off when she found out it was Rin she had run into.

            "It's okay..." He softly smiled, handing her a note that said 3/10.

            "When are you going to stop this?" Nitori painfully whispered, the notes becoming sweet forms of torture for her. She felt her chest tighten and she wanted to run away.

            "When I reach 10...I'll stop. But not until then..." Rin whispered, pulling out something from behind him, handing  her a box.

            "What's this?" Ai spoke up, looking up at his flawless face.

            "I know you haven't eaten all day. And I knew that you definitely weren't eating when you didn't come to swim practice." Rin replied, sighing.

            "I...I can get my own food. I don't need your help." Ai tried to snap, her voice getting caught in her muddled throat.

            "Just take it, Nitori." Rin pushed, making her hold the box.

            Ai glared to the side and nodded, holding the note on top of the box. The abandoned hallway filled with an awkward silence.

            "Wh-where are you rooming now?" Ai managed to inquire, wincing that she just continued their conversation. She should've just walked away.

            But she couldn't.

            "With Mikoshiba, right across the hall..." Rin trailed, putting his hand on the back of his neck as he always did.

            "Oh." Ai commented, awkwardly nodding.

            "Nitori..." Rin breathed, standing closer, his voice cracking ever so slightly.

            "Good night...thank you for the food." Ai bowed out, briskly walking back to her dorm, not able to handle any more conversation.

            Rin longingly looked after his kohai, feeling disgusted with himself once she shut the door to their once shared dorm.

\--

            Days passed, and Nitori continued to receive notes from Rin every single day with a new gift. She had just gotten the ninth note, and her resolve was weakening. The third note detailed how they got separated from the swim team  when they had gone to Tokyo for a competition, causing Nitori to clutch a map of Tokyo to her chest and cry into Rin's shoulder  wailing, "we're going to die out here, Rin-Senpai!" Ai tried to keep her giggle down when she remembered the incident. The fourth one was given in correspondence to a fleece blanket that was a pretty teal color. The note went into detail about the horror movie that they watched together which prompted Ai to sleep in Rin's bunk for a full week and be walked to the bathroom. Ai felt her heart skip beats when the note read _"I didn't want to sleep because I wanted you to know that I was always watching out...even though I knew the movie wasn't based on a true story like I told you it was."_

            The gifts were racking up, and Nitori was feeling increasingly forgiving to her senpai who just spewed out a disgusting word at her. She was always taught that actions spoke louder than words, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to pin the word that Rin so angrily spoke that night on his true emotions and feelings. Her sixth note was attached to Rin's swim jacket that retold the tale of when Ai got very cold at a swim meet and Rin gave her the jacket for her to cuddle into. He claimed that he didn't get any enjoyment from the team without her around, and that he had quit, so the jacket would be hers. The seventh, eighth, and ninth notes had also come in, still detailing specific moments that had occurred between them that Ai thought only she remembered.

            Boy, was she wrong.

            She quickly walked out of her dorm room, looking up and down the hallway, needing to find Rin. She didn't need a tenth note. She just wanted Rin to move back in...so they could start over again. She let out a gasp when she found the tenth note at her feet, tilting her head. She clumsily picked it up and ripped it open.

_10/10_

            _Dear Nitori,_

_I love you. I know that it's weird to read, and you'd much rather hear it than read it on paper, but I do. Sometimes you don't realize how good you had it until that thing you had is gone. You were the thing I had, Nitori. I can't stand seeing you on campus looking defeated. As I promised, this is the tenth note, and I will stop after this. If you're happy, Nitori...I'll find a way to be happy. I'm not good at writing love crap, but I'd do it for you. I did do it for you. At first I thought you were this annoying little girl...but you've changed the way I look at things...the way I look at you. I never thought that I'd have something that would take my mind off of swimming most of the time. I never thought that I'd have someone to talk to about anything and everything. I can't stand not being able to call you Ai. I can't stand not being able to hear your soft breathing above me. I can't stand not being able to see you smile. I can't stand not being able to hear your beautiful cackling laugh with your head thrown back. I can stand not having your messy desk, but I find myself missing that too. I miss you, Nitori. I understand if you want this to be the end...but I can't imagine living without you. Your tenth gift will be at the aquatic center. If you don't want to get it, I'll understand. The center is empty, so you can come and speak your mind if you want._

_I love you._

_Rin_

            Ai wiped her tears with her sleeve and quickly yanked on Rin's swim jacket, bolting out of the dorm and making a mad dash to the aquatic center, passing by several boys that just raised an eyebrow and stared at her tear stained face. Thunder rumbled and Ai found herself running the fastest she ever had. She screeched to a stop at the doors of the aquatic center, flinging them open as she walked in, panting. She was soaking wet, and she doubled over, letting out a weak cough.

            "R-Rin?" She called out, not even tacking on the senpai part.

            She was met with silence, her letting out a dry swallow, pulling his swim jacket over her thin hands, her bottom lip wriggling violently. She had missed him. She let out a defeated cry, sitting down on a bench and yanking her knees up to her chest, beginning to cry. She knew that she did the right thing with standing up for herself...but she knew that she should've just outright told Rin that she was in love with him.

            "Nitori?" A deep voice called out.

            Nitori slowly lifted her blotchy face, not even able to see through her tears. She let out another sob and shook her head.

            "Nitori...you're going to get tears on my jacket..." The voice sighed playfully.

            Nitori wiped her eyes quickly and saw Rin leaning against the front desk, his arms crossed. She leaped up from the bench and tackled Rin to the ground, sobbing into his shoulder even harder.

            "Rin! Rin!" She exclaimed, shaking her head, her shoulders quivering.

            "Shh..." He breathed, putting a hand in her lavender hair, trying to soothe the swimmer.

            "I love you too...I love you so much." Ai hiccupped, still having him tackled.

            "Nitori..."

            "Call me Ai, Rin...please..." She begged, lifting her face out of his chest, their eyes meeting once again.

            Rin leaned a bit more forward on his elbows, his lips slowly enveloping Ai's in a kiss, their eyes slowly closing, falling into one another, unwillingly separating when they both had the annoying need to breathe. Nitori nuzzled into his neck and stood up, blushing.

            Rin put his lips to Ai's ear as they stood close, blinking softly and kissing her earlobe.

            "I love you, Ai."

            She hugged him tightly and nodded, letting out a giggle.

            "I love you too, Rin."

            They stood there in silence for a few minutes, just adoring the embrace of the other's until they both pulled away and looked longingly into each other's eyes. Ai saw a mischievous spark in her lover's eyes and blushed several shades of red.

            "My tenth present is back in _our_ dorm..." Rin purred, kissing her forehead.

            "What is it?" Ai innocently asked, beginning to walk out of the center as the rain poured down heavily.

            "I'm going to show you why I've been whispering your name at night for the last  6 months."


End file.
